The dwindling US troop presence in Afghanistan is hampering the Pentagon's ability to train and monitor local security forces, a government watchdog report warned Friday.
Since local Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) assumed responsibility for their country's security, taking over from NATO forces at the start of 2015, US troop numbers have dropped to 9,800 -- and are set to fall further still to 5,500 by next year.
"With fewer forces in theater, the United States military has lost much of its ability to make direct observations, provide tactical mentoring, and collect reliable information on ANDSF capability and effectiveness," John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), wrote in his quarterly report to Congress.
Sopko's report comes at a dangerously fragile time for Afghan security.
Despite 15 years of war, the Taliban remain a major threat and has hit local troops hard, including in the brief capture of the major city of Kunduz, jolting confidence Afghan government forces can hold their own.
The United States estimates about 5,500 Afghan security forces were killed last year alone and, Sopko warned, no one seems to know exactly how many are left.
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